Moose ~ Symbol of Heightened Awareness

"To make your creative work really inventive,

you must tap into creativity from the Creator.” 

Moose Spirit ~ Primal Energies Day 19 Strength ~ longevity ~ Psychic ~ Creativity ~   8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo Paper Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Moose Spirit ~ Primal Energies

Day 19

Strength ~ longevity ~ Psychic ~ Creativity

~  

8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo Paper

Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Painting Options

painting only $99.00 USD art matted w/ backing $105.00 USD art matted + Framed - Med. Wood $135.00 USD

First Step - Paint the eyes.

Second and Third Steps -

Because I wanted the moose dark on a lighter

background, this was initiated with medium to dark mid-tones.

Fourth - The background wash was added.

With the background in, I could see that the value of the

far antler was too light. The painting was finished by

darkening that part of the antler, lifting a little pigment

here and there and adding a few darks and darker mid-tones

and adding more value and details to the background.

It's a a little past noon here and this is the earliest

I've posted during the 30/30 yet.  This painting went

really smoothly. I guess Moose Spirit was by my side.

I hope you are having luck with your creative endeavors today! 

As Always, thanks so much for stopping by and for

your friendship, comments and feedback!

X ♥  O

Horse ~ Symbol of Independence and Power

"The wind of heaven is that

which blows between a horse's ears."

Horse Spirit ~ Graceful Strength Day 18 Freedom ~ Respect ~ Finesse  ~ Sensitivity 8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo Paper Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Horse Spirit ~ Graceful Strength

Day 18

Freedom ~ Respect ~ Finesse  ~ Sensitivity

8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo Paper

Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Painting Options

painting only $99.00 USD art matted w/ backing $105.00 USD art matted + Framed - Med. Wood $135.00 USD

People seemed to enjoy yesterday's progress shots, so here are some more of today's painting. I really can't believe I remembered to stop a couple of times and take pictures two days in a row! Wow, is this turning into a habit?

First Step - Paint the eyes.

Second Step - Put in light mid-tones.

Third Step - Put in darker mid-tones.

Fourth - Add the background wash.

Finally, the painting is refined and detailed

by taking pigment away with a damp brush

and adding a little darker mid-tone here and there.

Horse Spirit -  Full frame/ Uncropped

I tweaked this painting quite a bit and here is what it looks like now.

Before          After

Thanks so much for stopping by and for

your friendship, comments and feedback!

X ♥  O

Owl ~ Symbol of Clairaudience and Clairvoyance

"The owl teaches us how to tap into intuition

and to understand and trust subtle perceptions."

Owl Spirit ~ Feminine Mysteries Day 17 Magic ~ Wisdom ~ Illumination  ~ Healing See painting price and specifications here.

Owl Spirit ~ Feminine Mysteries

Day 17

Magic ~ Wisdom ~ Illumination  ~ Healing

See painting price and specifications here.

Below are some progression shots of my painting process today. I can't believe I actually remembered to stop a couple of times and take pictures! 

First Step

One of my goals for the 30/30 was to get more proficient at painting eyes. I like to start my animal with their eyes. The eye can make or break a portrait. And if painted first, it's easy to wipe off on Yupo paper if not satisfied with it. Yesterday, I left the fox's eyes for later, which was a mistake. I was not 100% sold and was forced to keep them because it would have been a real hassle to wipe them back at that point. After some fiddling, I decided to keep them, especially since I didn't hate it.

Second Step - Put in mid-tones.

Third, the background was added with thick dark pigments.

Owl Spirit -  Full frame/ Uncropped

Fourth, the painting is refined and detailed, mainly by taking pigment away with a damp brush.

I am really thrilled with all the new friends I've been meeting online.

All your awesome work has been inspiring me through the 30/30! 

Your friendship, comments and feedback are keeping me pumped!!

I hope the magic is with you today.

Thanks for stopping by!

X ♥  O

Fox ~ Symbol of Observation and Camouflage

"The fox's ingenuity teaches us how

to acquire that which we desire."

Fox Spirit ~ Cunning Survivor

Day 16

Invisibility ~ Reasoning ~ Planning  ~ Attainment

See painting specifications and price here.

Tip of the day:

I've got a real easy one for tonight! Store your tube paints in plastic zip-lock bags and separate them by color family. The colors make them real easy to locate and if there's a leak, it's less of a mess. I think the bags also keep the paint fresher. 

Store your tube paints in plastic zip-lock bags and
separate them by color family.

You can store all the bags in one or two large gallon size zip-lock bags and all your colors are handy when you need to lay out or replenish your palette. 

You can store all the bags in a large gallon size zip-lock bag

Thanks for all the comments from old friends and new!

I hope you are having a great day.

Thanks for stopping by!

X ♥  O

Crow ~ Symbol of Magic and Protection

"The cawing crow reminds us that

magic and creation are calling out to us everyday."

Crow Spirit ~ Ancient Voices Day 15 Sentinel ~ Knowledge ~ Creation  ~ Magic ~ 8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo Paper Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Crow Spirit ~ Ancient Voices

Day 15

Sentinel ~ Knowledge ~ Creation  ~ Magic

~

8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo Paper

Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Painting Options

painting only $99.00 USD art matted w/ backing $105.00 USD art matted + Framed - Med. Wood $135.00 USD

Tip of the day:

I use a Tube-Wringer to get the most out of my paint tubes. I got it at one of the major art supply stores online and have had it for years. The company claims, "You'll get up to one-third more for your money from every tube with the Tube-Wringer®." I don't know about 1/3, but I'm sure it has paid for itself several times over. The U.S. made wringer keeps tubes much neater and prevents them from splitting too. 

~~~ A Tube-Wringer helps squeeze out every last drop! ~
 ~~ 

Hope you're having a magical day. Thanks for stopping by

and for your comments and emails! 

X ♥  O

Hawk ~ Symbol of Visionary Strength

"In order to carry a positive action,

we must develop here a positive vision.

~ Dalai Lama 

Hawk Spirit ~ Dare to be Different

Day 14

Imagination  ~  Courage  ~  Stamina

Tip of the day:

Use clear acetate print bags to store small paintings or drawings inside file folders. This is especially helpful for Yupo paintings, because they can be easily smudged before fixing. The sleeves make the paintings easy to find, see and use. And they are well protected from damage.

~~~~  8.5" x 6.5" watercolor  paintings on Yupo paper  ~~~~ 
stored in clear acetate sleeves in file folders.

Hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by!

X ♥  O

Turtle ~ Symbol of Patience and Persistence

"Turtle tells us that you can't go

through life quitting everything. 

If you're going to achieve anything,

you've got to stick with something."

Turtle Spirit ~ Enjoy the Journey Day 13 ~Longevity  ~  Immortality  ~  Steadfastness~ 8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo  Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Turtle Spirit ~ Enjoy the Journey

Day 13

~Longevity  ~  Immortality  ~  Steadfastness~

8.5 x 6.5" Hand Painted Watercolor on Yupo 

Matted and Framed to 10" x 8"

Painting Options

painting only $99.00 USD art matted w/ backing $105.00 USD art matted + Framed - Med. Wood $135.00 USD

Friday night I was just about to scrap my Spirit Guide theme, compositional idea and style for the 30/30 challenge, because it is not turning out as I had envisioned. Of course, most of my paintings never do. I've got a very strong willed muse who always seems to take over when I'm engrossed in that right-brain creative mode. It's as if I'm in a dream state where I'm just watching as the story unfolds.

After I posted on facebook Saturday morning about the meltdown, my super supportive online friends got me back on track! Today I commented on the blog of a new artist friend who's struggling with the challenge and I was reminded of this advice from one of my college professors; " Accept the fact that you will never be completely happy with your work because your knowledge will always be greater than your skill".

One of the most rewarding parts of this 30 in 30 challenge is meeting new friends online and giving support and feedback to each other. I will be happy if I can give back a small percentage of the good advice and camaraderie that I have received so far.

I have been on this art business journey for over 30 years. Yes, it's a little mind blowing, but I have painted thousands of pictures. This blog will feature some of the things I've learned along the way over the next few days.

I thought I was really well prepared for this challenge; it being my third one in a 13 month period. I did 36 thumbnail sketches and have numbered the ones I've used (in one variation or another) so far. A rocky start produced six or seven paintings the first two days, none of which I liked.

What I'm doing is definitely not new, having self-published a book on Animal Spirits in 2005. I am looking to revisit the subject in a new way though. I'd like to offer cards (notecards and a deck or sets - which could be collected or matted / framed). Each card would feature one guide and a few words of significance. I would like to expand it beyond animals too. I could encompass other nature spirits (wind, moon, flowers, etc.) and possibly some mythological ones (angels, unicorns, dragons). My idea is to unify the set through format (vertical), color (which isn't happening), style (loose - which isn't happening), motif (swirls), angle (side view), distance (close-up) with focus on the eye and of course, to improve my technique (Transparent Watercolor - using a few opaque colors on Yupo paper).  Obviously, it's an ongoing project, even after the challenge is done. After hours of work on Friday, I felt that the cat painting was overworked, but it turned out to be everyone's favorite, so maybe I just need to be more flexible in what I'm looking for. 

I don't know, what do you think? I'd love to get more feedback. Here's  a collage of my paintings so far, minus day 1 which I need to re-do. (So I am still behind.) If I do stick with this theme, what Spirit Guides would you like me to include?

 Thanks so much for being here and for your comments.

I really and truly can't thank you enough

for your support and friendship.

Have a good night! 

X ♥  O